The latest:
Nearly 130 heads of state convene in New York this week for the UN General Assembly, with President Donald Trump returning to the podium for a second consecutive year. Reuters reported the agenda centers on widening conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine alongside artificial intelligence risks, as the post-World War Two order strains and the world body fights to stay relevant.
Details:
- The money: The United States avoided losing its General Assembly vote by paying $725 million in regular budget contributions this week, Reuters reported. Washington still owes more than $1 billion and continues to press for cuts and reforms, after Trump slashed American contributions and withdrew from dozens of UN bodies.
- Xi’s absence: Chinese leader Xi Jinping will skip New York, favoring bilateral talks with Trump in Washington on Thursday. His last address to the gathering came by video in 2021. Diplomats said the absence has reopened debate over whether the UN still matters in managing global crises.
- The succession: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ends his term at the close of 2026, and no clear front-runner has emerged to succeed him at the 80-year-old organization. The open question compounds what Reuters described as a combined morale and financial crisis inside the institution.
- AI on the agenda: Guterres said artificial intelligence will be a central theme and urged states pushing the technology’s limits to adopt shared guardrails against a race to the bottom. The Security Council meets shortly after several AI industry leaders called for a coordinated slowdown, warning the technology could soon self-improve beyond human control.
- Trump’s counterposition: Trump has dismissed AI risk outright, calling it a hoax and alleging a plot against him, and argued China would benefit from doubts surrounding the technology. The UN created an advisory body on AI in 2023 that includes tech executives, government officials and academics.
- Middle East escalation: Reuters reported the US-Israeli war on Iran continues to drive global inflation and destabilize the region, while recent Houthi gains threaten shipping through the Bab al-Mandab strait and could push energy prices higher. Peace talks remain stalled as Iran and the United States trade strikes.
- Who speaks: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addresses the assembly Wednesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes and crimes against humanity charges over Gaza that Israel denies, speaks Thursday. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not attend for a second year after the United States again refused him a visa; the assembly voted Thursday to let him appear by video.
- Ukraine and food: Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will both address the assembly. Diplomats said Zelenskiy will likely seek to strengthen Ukraine’s position before another expected harsh winter. Guterres warned the effective Black Sea blockade is compounding food, fertilizer and energy problems.
- Yemen and Sudan: Guterres said a military solution in Yemen is extremely difficult and credited the UN envoy with an enormous effort to advance talks. Diplomats said a high-level meeting on Sudan is likely on the sidelines, though a diplomatic breakthrough is considered unlikely.
Background:
The Security Council has been unable to act on Ukraine because Russia, a permanent member, holds veto power. Trump named ending the war a top priority when he took office in January last year and has voiced frustration at failing to broker a settlement.
Between the lines:
Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group assessed the UN is no longer in free fall but stuck in an open-ended crisis, likely to sit at the center of shocks for the foreseeable future. The combination of Xi’s absence, an unpaid American balance above $1 billion and an unresolved succession points to an institution being worked around rather than through.
What’s next
Trump and Xi hold bilateral talks in Washington Thursday. Pezeshkian speaks Wednesday, Netanyahu Thursday. Watch whether Trump meets Zelenskiy in New York, and whether the Security Council convenes high-level sessions on Ukraine, AI and the Middle East.
